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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27613582">when the party's over</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eitaosh/pseuds/eitaosh'>eitaosh</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with no happy ending, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, akaashi is pathetic, major character death i am sorry, please don't run away bc of mcd, sarukui i love u but im sorry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:50:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,185</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27613582</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eitaosh/pseuds/eitaosh</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>keiji rarely ever had this much to drink, but tonight was a special occasion.</p><p> </p><p>(or, the 275 times keiji called (and the one time akinori picked up))</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji &amp; Sarukui Yamato, Akaashi Keiji/Konoha Akinori, Konoha Akinori/Shirofuku Yukie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>when the party's over</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>The wedding is held in the Shangri-La. Guests dressed in the most expensive and exquisite attire, the sweet melody filling the halls; a collection of violinists, harp players and a pianist were placed at the far end of the ballroom (curtesy of Yukie, of course), the walls were a beautiful beige with the brightest gold lining. Champagne-baring servers weaving their way through the hordes of guests who were dancing, smile never leaving their faces. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Then there was Keiji; now on his fourth glass of something strong, and absolutely disgusting, he could already feel the liquor taking in influence, flagging the same waiter again and again, who now loathed his position and tried escaping Keiji’s attention. <em> 'Another round, sir</em>?' he'd ask sweetly, not even able to finish his question before Keiji would snatch another glass from the tray. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Keiji rarely ever had this much to drink, but tonight was a special occasion. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Or so, <em> Akinori’s </em>special occasion.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It’s not that Keiji didn’t want his best friend to be happy. It’s that Keiji hated parties. Specifically, weddings. So, a year ago when Akinori showed up at his doorstep with the dark crimson invitation in his hand, his cheeks to match and a<em> you’re going to be my best man </em> - he couldn’t refuse. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Akinori and Keiji had been best friends since they were first years in high school. They were inseparable throughout the years. They did almost everything together. Sometimes, Akinori would stay back after school with Keiji and his book club and listen to them brag on and on about how <em>I didn't want romance to be the ending</em> and <em>shut up, Akaashi-kun, it was so romantic</em> and sometimes Keiji would stay back after school in the library to cram study with Akinori, who barely opened a book each time and instead spoke on and on about his day (which Keiji didn’t interrupt one bit, especially knowing Akinori would fail if he didn’t pay attention to his studies - but Keiji’s always been selfish and he would get so lost in his thoughts from Akinori's sweet voice filling his head).</p><p> </p><p>It’s how in their first year of college, they snuck into each other’s dorm rooms while their roommates were asleep, set up those ridiculous blanket forts that Keiji kept knocking down after a while, and talked about their lives after college where Akinori would be <em> such a handsome Pharmacist - why’re you laughing, I’m serious! </em> and Keiji would run an entire Law firm up the walls because <em> you can be a bit stubborn, ‘Kaashi, you’d make a perfect Lawyer</em>,’ Akinori would say.</p><p> </p><p>It’s how after they graduated three years ago, they finally found an apartment big enough for the both of them to call their own. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Two weeks later when Akinori finally got his job in a medical lab, they agreed to meet at their usual spot at the diner, bouquet of marigolds in his hand (Akinori’s favorite), to congratulate him. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Throughout the night, Keiji didn’t fail to notice that one waitress was hanging near their table too often, eyeing Akinori with blushing cheeks. (He also didn’t fail to notice the way Akinori seemed to eye her back). </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>It was how after Keiji paid the check, Akinori let him go home alone. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>The whole walk back to their apartment, Keiji’s line of vision was blurred, the red tie that Akinori loved so much on him got lost somewhere on the sidewalk and his fist clenched so tightly around the bouquet of desert flowers that Akinori never took.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Keiji doesn’t pass the bar exam.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em> He doesn’t tell Akinori, though.  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Two years ago, Akinori showed up to their apartment with that familiar small, breathtaking woman who was all smiles and dark hair, not to mention those piercing <em> eyes </em> and voice so angelic  <em> Shirofuku Yukie, Konoha-san has told me so much about you </em> and her arm wrapped securely around his best friends’ bicep. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>The whisper of <em> she makes me so happy, Akaashi, </em><em>happier than I’ve ever been </em> muffled into his hair on their couch after Yukie left, blanket draped around his shoulders and Keiji tucked into his side. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Seven months later, Akinori moves out.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Not living with Akinori wasn’t so bad. He still saw him every other day. Akinori invited him along to his and Yukie’s dates sometimes, Akinori’s arm thrown over Yukie’s shoulders and Keiji trailing right behind them or when he sat across from them pressed into each other’s sides during dinner, their shared milkshakes and hushed whispers among each other, or how Akinori practically begged Keiji to come out on that one double date with Yukie’s best friend, Bokuto Koutarou, because <em> I know you don’t swing that way, I told Yukie </em> (who, to Keiji’s dismay, couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself). </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>But Keiji couldn’t be mad. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>He knew Akinori just wanted to make him feel included in his life, but that didn’t stop Keiji from coming home to his empty apartment each night with Yamoto, on loud speaker, as he sat on his kitchen floor, bottle of the strongest alcohol Yukie once recommended to him when she and Akinori showed up for dinner in her hand and cried until he fell asleep on the tiled floor. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p><em> Tell him, Keiji</em>, <em> before it’s too late </em> would echo into the phone and bounce off the walls as he lay there, his cheek pressed on the cold kitchen floor. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Keiji wished it was easy. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So, when Akinori showed up, with a smile wide enough it was going to fall off his face and a <em> you’ll come, won’t you </em> Keiji couldn’t refuse.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>That night, in Akinori’s old bedroom - which was turned into Keiji’s home office - Keiji lay on his back in the middle of the floor. Two empty bottles in front of him and Akinori’s contact number lighting up the dark room, a finger hovering over the button to dial. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em> Tell him, Keiji. </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Keiji laughed. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>He laughed so quiet and so bitter until he started to cry. Warm and salty tears sliding down his temples as he stared up at the ceiling. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em> Tell him, Keiji. </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>His body shook silently and <em> god </em> his eyes were burning from staring so intensely at the ceiling because he was afraid to shut his eyes and capture the burning image of Akinori sitting on the kitchen bench with his phone shoved into Keiji’s face and the photo of Yukie’s ring, and <em>fuck </em>he felt like the shards of his shattered heart were poking against the inside of his body.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>The sound of sniffling and breathless laughter echoed throughout his office. It was almost as if the walls and his books and the portraits of him and his family were staring back at him with so much sympathy for being so pathetic.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em> Tell him, Keiji. </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>But Keiji laughed. His phone thrown somewhere across the other side of his office which was now dark and cold and feels so fucking empty, but his body shakes quietly on the carpeted floor, tears falling down his temples and over his earlobes and into his hair - </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em> Tell him, Keiji. </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em> Before it’s too late. </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>And, Keiji just laughed.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Because it <em> was </em> too late.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>um yeah♥️ this is just me projecting onto akaashi so i'm making this two chapters just because i feel like there's A LOT and i didnt wanna unload it all in the first chapter so.. let me know what you guys think!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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